


Hidden

by Onlymostydead



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Abandonment, Alternate Universe - Champions Come Back, Angst, Confessions of love, Crushing, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentioned Temporary Canon Character Death, Not very graphic depictions of violence but I wanted to be careful, Poetry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-08-17 05:00:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16509803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onlymostydead/pseuds/Onlymostydead
Summary: One hundred years ago, Revali had a book of poetry he had written... About Link. Now, Link has discovered it, and is confronted with his confusing feelings.And now what could happen, since Revali is back?





	Hidden

**Author's Note:**

> Praise to Zzariyo on tumblr (and on here, I think, not sure of her username) for the cuckoo bird idea!

Link knew that he shouldn't have been looking around this much in these things. Everything in his conscience screamed for him to leave the Flight Range and the little book he had found, hidden away on top of the rafters. It had a lock on it, which Link had easily picked in his curiosity. Taking a deep breath, he opened the book.  
Revali's penmanship was easily recognizable: the flowing script with sharp edges was undeniably his, Link knew that from reading his journal.

But why would he have another book out here? 

Still remaining cautious, Link began to read the first page. 

"In my dreams I see him  
Soft face  
Softer hair  
Bluest eyes-  
Stronger thighs  
Tossing his head without a care  
Yet flowing, impossible grace."

Wait, was this a love poem? Link snickered, even though it hurt something in his heart. He had no idea Revali would be the type to write romantic poetry, much less the type to hide it away in a locked book. His curiosity piqued, he kept reading.

"In my dreams I hear him  
He laughed  
Then almost snorted  
A tiny voice, almost unheard  
Only speaking a few little words  
Those lips I could have courted  
If I were not so daft."

"In my dreams I touch him  
Hold his hand  
Stroke his hair  
Hold him close, never let go  
How has he brought me so low?  
His strength of body, unfair  
His beauty, not of this land."

"In my dreams he is there.  
I cannot see  
I cannot hear  
I cannot feel  
Is he even real?  
Or is it my true fear  
That he cannot be."

"In my dreams he is there,  
But he does not see me  
He hears my voice not  
Never will he reach me  
I suppose this should teach me  
Some profound lesson or thought  
But that I will not see."

Link found himself frowning, a bit touched by the poem. It was obvious that whoever this was meant a lot to him, and didn't feel the same. That was interesting, for certain. Revali always acted like he could get anything he wanted, but what if that wasn't true?  
He turned the page.

"A flightless bird yet soars  
On wings not of his own."

"I carry him away, away  
But not to my own home."

"I long to tell him, whisper close  
But with courage, I have none."

"They say he has an abundance,  
But I, not for that am known."

"He slips away in moonlight,  
And I cannot speak but groan."

"My love has slipped away again,  
Under moonlight, softly shone."

The couplets were interesting, but Link couldn't for the life of him figure out what they meant. "A flightless bird yet soars, with wings not of his own?" Revali mentions he is carrying him away, so maybe the object of his affection can't fly.

Perhaps they're not a Rito at all.

Link started at the idea, shocked that thought would pop into his head. Revali did mention his hair, what is it was a Hylian? Someone from the stable, maybe? Link didn't know, but wanted to keep reading.

"Watch your tongue, cuckoo.  
Watch your tongue or lose it  
You know what we do to you  
To things left behind with no grit.  
Watch your tongue or lose it,  
And find your love elsewhere."

"Not that one, you cuckoo.  
You dumbest of all the birds  
You see how he looks at you, shoo!  
He won't give you loving words  
You dumbest of all the birds  
He hates you for your pride."

This one too, felt sad in a way Link couldn't describe. What did 'cuckoo' mean? He felt like it was offensive, so how would he go about asking someone? He had no idea. Maybe, if he could Teba here at night he could ask. Teba, as gruff as he was, didn't scare Link at all, really. He was just an anxious father who didn't know how to talk to people very well.  
He could talk to Teba later, though. For now, he needed to keep reading.

"Gold in the sun  
Turned dull in the rain  
But his radiant smile  
Is still just the same."

Something about the sweep of Revali's letters seemed happier on that one, something about the words themselves seemed to smile.

"Keeping everyone away  
Except that one and only knight  
He may join me, I will fight his fight  
But he, the only one, won't stay."

A knight? That was interesting. Maybe he was a guard... Or something. Link didn't know what kind of security Hyrule had back in those days, so it was hard to know if that was even possible.

"I hate watching as he walks  
Watching as he will not talk.  
Flowing him in near pitch black,  
Only see the gleam, on his back:  
The sword of darkness, he slays-"

Link froze. What? Was this one about him? Apparently it was just a volume of his poetry, not just love notes.

"Ponytail swaying in that way.  
I hate seeing him be cold,  
I hate seeing that hair of gold  
I hate knowing I will grow old,  
With all these words of love untold."

What?

"He turns and scowls, brows of hate  
If I could only try and wait  
But time is fighting against us  
And I have broken his trust.  
These thoughts I think will never be  
I hate myself, I made him hate me."

Eyes wide, Link slammed the book shut. What? How could that- how could he- was this about him?  
Link couldn't deny the mixed feelings he had about Revali, from the moment he saw him in that first memory he had become... Enchanted. Something about him was just so... He had such a draw to him, a certain attraction. It was as if he couldn't help being drawn in.  
But this sounded like Revali felt the same, but thought Link hated him? No, that couldn't be true. Link opened the book again, trying to search for any clues.

"Bluest eyes-  
Stronger thighs"

Well, he certainly had blue eyes, and Revali would certainly not be the first to make a comment about his thighs.

"But with courage, I have none.  
They say he has an abundance,"

Courage was the main ideal in an appointed knight, passed down from generation to generation. Everything in the oath he took seemed to be about courage, courage in the face of adversaries that felt unreasonable. He had only recently remembered that oath, searching in Hyrule castle. It was still strange, discovering parts of himself.

"Gold in the sun  
Turned dull in the rain."

Was this about his hair again?

"Except that one and only knight"

One and only knight could refer to appointed knight, the one and only knight distinguished by that title.   
There was no doubt that the last poem was about Link, and the love was unmistakable.

"I hate knowing I will grow old,  
With all these words of love untold."

"And I have broken his trust.  
These thoughts I think will never be  
I hate myself, I made him hate me."

It was him. Revali was talking about him, writing poetry about him.

Link turned the page, but found it empty. Suddenly getting the crawling feeling that he was being watched, he slammed the book shut, re-locked it, and stowed it back into its hiding place. Unsure of what to do with this information, the fact that his dead companion was in love with him too, he headed back to the village.

***

"Hey, Teba?" 

Teba grunted, but kept his eyes on Link to watch his signs.

Link hesitated. "Could you tell me what a word means?" 

He shrugged, setting his bow down. "Depends. Would I know it?"

"Probably..." Link swallowed. "It's just that... It's probably an insult."

Teba raised an eyebrow. "And? Go on."

"I think it's more offensive than you think, and I don't want to seem like I'm spouting foul language." Link clarified hastily. "Besides, it's something from... A memory, so it might be antiquated."

"Okay. We won't know if you don't try." Teba grumbled, clearly growing impatient. "Spell it out."

Link, very slowly, his face very red, spelled it out. "Cuckoo."

Teba's eyes went wide, his beak opening as to yell for a moment, then clamping down tight. "Don't say that word."

Link sighed. "I didn't, I just wanted to know-"

"It refers to a Rito who was left behind to be raised by the rest of the village, either because the parents died or because they just... Didn't care." Teba explained. "It's a disgusting word, you won't hear it used much these days for good reason. The closest approximation of a comparison I can make is a combination of calling someone a bastard and insulting their mother."

Link nodded quickly. "Thanks Teba."

"Don't repeat it, especially to any kids." He warned, pointing a finger at Link.

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Especially Tulin." Teba scowled. "He doesn't need to know that kind of language."

"Alright." Link stood up, anxious to leave the awkward situation. "I'm gonna go get some sleep at the inn." 

"Sweet dreams, kiddo."

As Link walked away, he wondered why that's something people called Revali, or something he called himself.

***

Link stowed away the thoughts of poetry while he decided to really seriously pursue Calamity Ganon, needing all of his focus to be on that one thing. Still, he had more and more dreams about Revali, being with him, being close to him. It was upsetting, to say the least, to have that knowledge that Revali did love him, but never made a move. 

For all that mattered, Link didn't even know if he had liked Revali back then. Even so, he had a feeling he did. Some sinking suspicion in his head said that those feelings were all requited. 

Like that mattered now, Link thought grimly to himself, securing his shield on his back. Revali was gone. All he could do now was get rid of the thing that caused killed him.

***

Zelda was alive. Link could have jumped for joy if he hadn't just fought such a harrowing battle, if his body didn't ache like it did. He finally had a friend in the world, a person who understood everything better than he did.  
First order of business, though, was getting Zelda somewhere to rest. She looked exhausted, shoulders slumped, deep bags etched under her eyes, and her feet dragging on the ground. A hundred years of holding the creature back had done this to her, and Link couldn't help but wish that he had been able to save her sooner. 

That he had been able to save her the first time.

Silencing that thought, Link put his arm around Zelda to stabilize her. Startled, she jumped back, turned around and-

She froze, her eyes on the castle doors behind her. "Oh, Hylia." 

Link spun around, unsheathing his sword. He had seen Calamity Ganon sealed away, they had done their job, now what was-

Daruk had pushed open the doors, carrying a limp red object that had to be Mipha. A crack ran down his forehead, starting at his hairline and splitting into two just below his eye, running all the way down to his lips. Mipha was red with more than just her natural coloring, slick with blood.

Despite her fatigue Zelda ran, Link right on her heels. In seconds they were its Daruk and Mipha, Zelda checking Mipha's pulse.

"Are you alright? Goddess, I can't believe you're alive and-" Zelda began to cry, then sob, taking Mipha into her own arms. "We must get them somewhere safe."

Link nodded, pulling out the Sheikah Slate. He hadn't tested if it would take more than one person at once, but...

"Warp tool, perfect." Zelda kept her eyes on Mipha's bruised face. "Now where are..." 

The other door shuddered open, Urbosa and Revali leaning heavily on each other. One of Revali's eyes was swollen shut, one of his wings badly broken. Urbosa had a long cut down the side of her face, her hair had been cut off, and her legs and arms were covered in gashes.

"Oh, you're all alive." Zelda choked.

Link reached out to help stabilize them. He could hear how Revali's breaths wheezed.

"Good, everyone has to be touching. Link, take us somewhere we can heal."

Link panicked. Where would be a good place? Thoughts were racing through his mind at a thousand miles an hour. The first thing that popped into his head was a hot spring, but...  
Looking around at the champions, he knew they couldn't make it to one. They were in too difficult of places. That left one place: Zora's Domain.

Link pressed the shrine, and they all dematerialized into blue light.

***

Link sat next to Revali's bedside, watching the rise and fall of his chest. 

Mipha, with all her people so eager to do anything they could for her, was on her feet in no time. Limping for sure, but she had made an impressive amount of progress in not really very long. She had been helping heal the other champions, even.  
She was responsible for fixing up Daruk's face, though a narrow crack still remained. According to him, that was just how it healed.  
Urbosa, once she was bandaged up, was alright. Some of the cuts required stitches, but nothing so bad that they couldn't handle it.

The worst one was Revali. Rito have more delicate bones than the other races, resulting in some more worrying injuries. His wing was set and bandaged fairly easily, but his ribcage had been crushed in. That accounted for the wheezing noise he made every time he breathed. His beak had a thin crack down it, and half his face had been very bruised.  
Of course, he was stable now. Mipha had been coming in for shifts of healing, unable to do it all at once because of her own present condition. Still, Link felt an odd sense of... Peace about it. He knew Revali would be alright.

That didn't keep his heart from beating out of his chest about whether or not Revali felt the same way he wrote in his poems. Sighing, Link gently stroked one of his braids. He would just have to wait for him to wake up.

***

Two months had gone by, and Link still didn't have the courage. Every time he looked at Revali he blushed and turned away, as if he couldn't do anything else. It was frustrating, not being able to just say what needed to be said.

So Link found himself back in the Flight Range, glancing nervously over his shoulder. Sure, he had read all of the poems before, but it would validate how he felt. He would know that Revali at least used to feel the same way, that he cared about him.  
Link smiled at he flicked through the book, trying to focus on the good in every poem even though they tended to be-

...dark. There was a new one, written in the same scrawl, added to the book. Link took a deep breath, and dive in.

"Falling down, he caught me  
Yet this has still not taught me  
To thank him.  
The words will not come out  
The birds still give me doubt  
I can't do it.  
Though their voices are long gone  
It's still my choices they act on  
I love him."

Link choked. So he does feel the same way? Still? After all this time he-

"What are you doing with that!" Revali screeched from behind him, snatching up the book. "Do you not have any respect for people's things? Things people leave locked?"

Link blinked, unable to think of anything he could say to diffuse the situation.

An awkward, stressed laugh with no happiness in it bubbled out of him. "I can't believe this. How much did you read? All of it? Why you-"

Link's hands shook. "I love you."

"Don't taunt me like that." Revali sneered.

"No, I do." He stood up, swallowing. "I love you."

"Don't say that to me!" He backed up to the wall post, then hung his head. "Don't say that."

"But it's true-"

"Who put you up to this?" Revali snarled. "Who? Was it Daruk, that-"

"Revali." Link stepped forward, until the were nearly face to face. "I love you."

He shook his head. "Of course you do, I-"

"Please stop with the bullshit."

Revali scoffed. "Bullshit? I-"

Squeezing his eyes shut, Link leaned in, got on his tiptoes, and pressed their foreheads together. After a moment of stillness, Revali nuzzled him back.

Link had seen Teba and Saki doing that, and asked Teba what it was. He had been embarrassed, but admitted it was like kissing.

With a deep sigh, Revali pulled back. "You really read all of it, didn't you?"

He nodded.

Sighing, he slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. "Well, you really know too much about me now, don't you?"

Link shrugged, sitting down with him. "I mean, not really."

"Yes you do you liar." Revali shot back. "You know more than you realize, I think."

Cuckoo. The word popped into Link's head and he couldn't force it to leave. Is that what he was talking about?

Revali sighed. "My parents abandoned me when I was just hatched." He explained, staring into the fire. "I remember them, but just barely. I never found them, you know. Never got to ask why..."

Link took Revali's hands in his, then shook his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"How you start doesn't matter that much, I don't think." Link signed with hesitant hands. "You're more than that."

Revali turned his head away. "Yeah, I know."

Link sighed. "I love you."

He looked away, beak clamped shut. His feathers ruffled, making him look incredibly puffy. 

"I love you too." He whispered, so soft Link thought he imagined it.

But Revali turned back and nuzzled his forehead into his again. "I love you too." He said louder this time, holding Link close. 

The book of poetry still lay in Revali's lap, closed but no longer locked.

"You don't hate me then?" Revali whispered.

Link shook his head. "I don't think I ever could."

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! My tumblr is Supertinywords, so check it out if you want to hear me screaming into the void!
> 
> Comments are love <3


End file.
